• ‘DECISIONS’ OFTEN INVOLVE “DISCOMFORT OF UNKNOWN RESULTS and, because of our psychological aversion toward ambiguity, driving most to quick ‘cognitive closure,’ which can result in closed-mindedness and preclude consideration of alternatives too early.” Some research contends that “once a task is considered complete or problem resolved, it becomes ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind. But if left unfinished or unsolved, our subconscious continues searching for solutions – even for mundane tasks and even during sleep… Creativity is inherently inefficient and what distinguishes the most creative professionals from the pack may be their willingness to delay decisions as long as possible; that forestalling cognitive closure gives ability to remain open to new ideas and inspiration,” which may be more optimal. Call DCG for further insight and courtesy consultation.  [RADICAL CANDOR – 10/5/21]
  • RANSOMWARE REMAINS AMONG THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUES facing businesses, organizations and public services today. From daily media reports of major hacks to weekly TV drama scripts, the increasing severity of attacks now prompts many to just pay a ransom in order to restore networks – even then a process which can take weeks or months plus encourage subsequent attacks. Since hacker technology is (so far) always a step ahead, there is no absolute protection. However, key pieces to cybersecurity include: (1) “making sure that operating systems & software across the network are patched with latest updates so criminals cannot easily exploit known vulnerabilities; and (2) apply multi-factor authentication to all users, providing a barrier to hands-on attackers using stolen usernames & passwords to move around a compromised network.” DCG affiliates can help. [ZD NET – 9/20/21]
  • DURING THE RAPID-EYE MOVEMENT PHASE OF SLEEP (REM), during which “lucid dreaming, in which a person is aware they’re dreaming, real-time two-way communication can occur.”  Independently conducted research experiments at Northwestern, French, German & Netherlands universities all found that “interactive dialogue responses, through eye movements or by contracting facial muscles, allowed dreamers to follow instructions, do simple math, answer yes-or-no questions, and tell the difference between different sensory stimuli…  Outside of the laboratory, these methods could help people in solving problems during sleep, offering nightmare sufferers novel ways to cope, or shed light on memory processing.”  [NORTHWESTERN.EDU – 2/16/21]
  • THE INTEGRITY OF BOTH PAPER-BASED AND ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS HAVE LOST THE CONFIDENCE of a consistently increasing number of Americans, due to insecure identity controls and vulnerability to potential frauds within the separate processes legislated & administered by fifty separate (and partisan) states. In Europe and China, ‘Blockchain’ technologies have been replacing these systems “as a foundational infrastructure for forward-thinking governments, providing unique benefits related to procedural transparency, permanent record-keeping, honest disclosure,” and are certain to become an issue for consideration as disputed American elections continue to increase in number in scope.  [IMPACT LAB – 10/12/21]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:   “The irony for mankind is that a computer program asks a human to prove they’re not a robot.”

          A 2-year French independent study concluded that over 70 years, 1950-2020, at least 216,000 children were sexually abused by Catholic clergy in the country, plus another 114,000 by laypeople with roles in church activities.  [ECONOMIST]

         Based on the responses of Countries to the covid pandemic, “geopolitical conflict is the new normal, and going forward will compete against one another, using technology to master threats that emerge from the environment rather than from their rivals, particularly with respect to resources access, only sharing their knowledge for a price.”  [ECONOMIST]